The Typical Rejects 2006 - 2010

16´12, DV PAL, 2010

In 2006, I set up a small call centre in Belgrade, Serbia to process outsourced European telephone market survey work, the workforce being local English speaking Serbs.

As part of recruiting new workers, I developed a participatory video practice which involved the job applicants and gave them critical insights into the job they were applying for. They took part in simulations and role plays of everyday situations from the job which I filmed during the interview process. I reused this film material to make 'Demo Films' which I played back to job applicants in later rounds of the application process. This created a critical distance, both for the applicants and myself in the role of boss and artist, and I tried through this process to counter the alienating consequences of doing such work. This video experiment which spanned a four year period culminated in a study of the ethical dilemmas and the power relations which this setting produced.